A celebration of earthy ingredients & real food

Iron Rich

Hey! I am soooo happy you are reading this post for this smoothie. Because it is to date one of my easiest and most favorite recipes.

I just want to make and eat this smoothie everyday. Unfortunately right now I have to wait for the kefir to culture… Will just have to hang in there! : P

Ok, so let me tell you what is so great about this smoothie.

High Protein Smoothie

Its high in protein!

Some of the protein in this smoothie comes from the kefir. Milk kefir contains 11 to 14 grams of complete protein per cup. The reason it is called complete protein, is because kefir contains all 20 of the essential amino acid.

The other protein comes from the chickweed! Did you know that chickweed contains 20% protein? Who would have thought right.

Loads of Iron

And guess what…. I discovered that chickweed, contains……. 20 times more iron than a piece of steak.

Totally amazingly crazy.

Parsley is also rich in iron, and contains up to 6,2 ml per 100 grams.

This Smoothie Will Detox You

Next up, this smoothie has a host of detox benefits.

The kefir in this smoothie makes up the first detox component. Fermented and probiotic foods assist the body to excrete its waste products. Also, fermented foods like kefir are thought to be able to latch on to heavy metals, and dispose of the in ones poop.

Additionally chickweed is believed to also have some powerful detox abilities. To the point where it can clean the blood by dissolving plaque in the blood vessels, as well as clear out gunk from out cells. It is this action on the cellular level which brings us to the next point.

Oh I almost forgot – parsley is cleansing!

This is also a Fat Burning Green Smoothie

It appears that because chickweed can work on a cellular level to clean out and detoxify, it also has a unique fat burning ability. It is a long held view that chickweed can help the body dissolve and rid itself of excess fat cells. Which is why chickweed is often listed as in ingredient in weight loss and fat burning supplements.

There are many views that this long held belief in chickweeds ability to dissolve fat and inhibit weight gain is pure folk lore. However a study done in 2012 provides scientific evidence that chickweed does in fact hold the power to help you shed pounds.

Chickweed Chowder. I know. But this is not a joke. This is a real recipe for some real good (and cheesy) chickweed chowder.

It is spring time here in the southern hemisphere and the garden is just rocking and popping with chickweed and all the other edible spring time weeds. Somehow I got a little obsessed this winter / spring, with EATING these weeds.

Recently I found out that chickweed and nettle contain massive big time amounts of iron, are generally super nutrient dense, and are both potent detoxifiers! For this reason I decided to create two soups, this Chickweed Chowder and the Nettle Detox Soup.

If you are interested in the properties of nettles – have a look at that recipe. Otherwise, let’s go on to the exciting benefits of chickweed.

How High is the High Iron Content in Chickweed

It’s easy to say this food is high in x mineral, but how much iron does chickweed contain? It turns out, that chickweed contains over than 20 times more iron than steak. What?

This blew my mind, because I am always on the lookout to get some extra iron in. I never knew that chickweed was such a potent source!

From time to time I get a horrible drained feeling. I tracked this depleted feeling down to an iron deficiency – which I have been boosting with Hemp Water Drinks and Red Hot Spinach Juice to get the levels up. Now that I have found out how much iron is in chickweed, I think I must make more recipes with it. Chickweed pesto anybody? : P

Devil of Detox

Like nettle, chickweed is also supposed to be a super cell purifier, to the point where it dissolves plaque buildup in cells. Wow.

Which leads us to this next exciting point.

Chickweed: the old time Skinny Plant
(Fat Buster Alert)

Historically, chickweed was known as the ideal plant to ingest if looking to lose weight. The scientific basis behind this lies in the detox power of chickweed.

Part of chickweed’s detoxing effect is that it helps the body dissolve and rid itself of excess fat cells. This combined with the cleansing of the remaining cells and purifying of the digestive tract can result in induced weight loss.

Chickweed Contains High Levels of Protein

In addition chickweed contains 20% protein! This is an exceptionally high percentage for a plant food, particularly a green.

I have been getting a little obsessed with the weeds on the farm lately. Specifically with eating them. Funilly there is a book on the farm mantel piece entitled ‘Eat Your Weeds.

Which we have never opened. Maybe it has been subliminally brainwashing me all the years?

Anyway, my poor family have been guinea pigs for a series of nutrient dense, very green, soups, made out of weeds. And now I proudly bring to you my first in this series – Nettle Detox Soup. My mom and I really like this soup because it is savory and amazingly tasty.

The guys on the other hand – my Dad and my mountain Troll – they prefer the Chickweed Chowder…. Probably because it is a less verdant green, and because it has cheeeeeese in it. : P

Before we get into the recipe, I just want to talk a little about the health benefits and detox power of nettles, where to find them, and give some tips on how to process them without being stung!

Health Benefits of Nettles

Super high iron content

Nettle has one of highest iron contents of plants. Surpassed only by parsley and chickweed. For this reason is said to be an excellent blood builder and energiser. Naturopaths often prescribe it for underactive thyroids or adrenal fatigue.

High iron content always gets me excited. Awhile ago I suffered from some serious energy drops, where I felt super depleted of physical force. I realised that it was probably from having low iron levels (a common thing for women!) and started making things like Hemp Water Drinks and Red Hot Spinach Juice to get the levels up. Now I found out about the high iron contents of nettles and chickweed, which is why I also worked out the Chickweed Chowder recipe.

Extreme Nutrient Density

Besides being high in iron, nettles have been described as one of the most nutrient dense plants in the world! This is because they contain rich levels of protein, selenium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, vitaminsA, C, D, K, and most Bs.

Big Time Detoxifier

And last but not least, nettle is a big time detoxifier! It acts as a gentle laxative effect, and actively assists the body to rid itself of stored up waste in the blood, cells and organs, especially the kidneys. I generally do not make an effort to detox as I live relatively clean (I think!), but recently I started doing TRE! This kickstarted an unusual detox in my body and I was keen to support the process with my nettle soups : ). If you want to know more about TRE (it’s amazing!) I describe what I experienced after in session in this post.

Why We Need to Help Our Bodies to Detox

Also, I realised that while I might be practicing a generally clean lifestyle – there are so many sneaky pollutants (of air and body) hidden around us. Stuff like pesticides and herbicides can build up in your body from store bought veg, and even things like wearing deodorant can land you with some stored up heavy metals.

No man is an island, and unless one lives in a bubble there is no way to avoid all of the environmental toxins out there. In fact wait – the bubble would probably be plastic and therefore poison you slowly with BPAs!

Heavy metals and toxins can lead to general crappy feeling less, weight gain, and some very serious illnesses.

So, helping the body to detox is always a good idea.

Where to Get Nettles

So, where can one get some nettles??

Nettles unfortunately are not popular or shelf stable enough to grace our store shelves! So you have to go looking for them. They usually start popping up towards the end of winter and grow on into early spring. If you do not have any growing in your garden, take a walk in some fields, woods or trails.

Just make sure that the nettles you pick are not growing right next to a highway or main road. This might have a residue of exhaust fumes on them!

How to Process Nettles Without Getting Stung

And of course, when dealing with stinging nettles there is that, well, sting.

The best way to avoid being stung is to wear rubber gloves while picking and chopping up the nettles. What I like to do is to use scissors to cut them up into a bowl. This way you can easily snip the leaves and any juicy stalk tips off. However you can just as easily chop them up on a board. Whichever you prefer.

Also, keep in mind that the sting of the nettle is not harmful. In fact it is supposed to be therapeutic! So don’t stress if you do get a stray sting.

A note on the lentils.

I incorporated lentils into this soup to make it an all round meal that has some extra protein and complex carbs in it. They also add an extra savoriness to the soup.

If you are going to be using dried lentils for this soup – try to soak them well beforehand. You can then steam them up while the other parts of the soup are cooking.

If you do not have the time or the patience for soaking lentils, then you can also use canned lentils, or red lentils. Red lentils are much quicker to cook than their more earthy colored cousins, the brown and green lentils. You can simply cook them up while doing the rest of the soup and they will be ready to incorporate at the end.

Nettle & Avocado Detox Soup

Ingredients

4 heaped tablespoons of flour (for gluten free substitute with 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with enough water to make a slurry + add to soup during step 4)

200 grams of chopped raw nettles

5 cups water (you can also use stock if you like)

4 cloves garlic

pinch of dried rosemary

1/2 cup parsley

1 ripe avocado

2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups cooked / soaked or canned lentils

Instructions

Chop up the potatoes and put them onto steam with 1/2 cup of water in a small pot. If you need to cook already soaked lentils as well, put them into a separate pot to simmer with enough water to cover.

Pour the olive oil into a large pot. Put on the heat and add the chopped nettles. Toss in the hot olive oil for half a minute.

Add the flour and toss for another half minute.

Add water, bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat and allow the nettles to simmer for 5-10 minutes. While this is happening you can chop up and add the garlic and parsley

Now combine the cooked potato and the avocado to the nettles and blend on high until the soup reaches a smooth consistency. An immersion blender works well for this. You can add additional water or stock if the soup is too thick

Green juice is one of those trends I hope never goes away! There is such a good feeling one gets when drinking down a bright green juice which you just know is FULL of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotics etc.

Before we go an inch further, I just want to say that this is a savory green juice. I know that the ones with apple and pear are the bomb, but sometimes a girl (me) wants something un-sweet, and in this case spicy! With each day of existence I get more addicted to chilli.

In fact, I have a theory that chilli enhances the flavor of food by bringing more blood to your taste buds. Anybody with me on this?

Moving on, back in the beginning of the year I did an Iron Rich Canna Juice / Hemp Water recipe. I was doing spinach based green juices as well, but was not happy with the taste. I promised I would post a recipe as soon as I found something I liked, and here it is! Red Hot Green Juice. Of course you can just make it as hot as you want. You don’t have to dunk whole chillis in.

My favorite thing about this green juice is that it reminds of a bloody marry, of course sans alcohol, and without the canned tomato vibes. : P

Greeny Marys all the way.

If you make this, please let me know what you think! x

Oh. One last thing. I hate using the juicer, because it is such a hassle to clean! So what I do is I used my blender stick, and then sieve juice. You could also use a normal blender for this.

Red Hot Green Juice

Ingredients

4 cups of loosely packed spinach

3 sticks of celery chopped

1/2 green chilli deseeded

Water to cover

Salt & pepper to taste

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Before we get going I just want to say that 1/2 a green chilli will make the juice quite spicy. If you like spice then go ahead. However if you are more sensitive, start out with a little less, and taste the juice. You can always blend in more, or simply add some additional cayenne pepper.

Combine water, spinach, celery and chilli with the water and blend. I use my stick blender, but you can use an ordinary blender.

Strain the liquid / pulp through a sieve into a jug.

Add the lemon juice (helps for iron absorption) and salt and pepper to taste.

Red Hot Green Juice was last modified: October 1st, 2017 by Daniela Klein

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Red Hot Green Juice was last modified: October 1st, 2017 by Daniela Klein